With the growing technological advancements, media is becoming more dominant in the lives of individuals from as early as childhood. An eight year old will mimick one of their favorite characters on a television show just as an adult might imitate an actor in their favorite action film. Media is a contemporary social phenomenon which has the power to shape and influence our lives on many levels.
When considering the functionalist view of media, the obvious reason is entertainment. People watch the same television shows religiously to ease boredom, or often to escape what’s going on on their lives. Media frequently acts as an informant, educating teenagers and children distress about the danger of their actions with anti-drug commercials and reality television shows. For example MTV’s reality show “True Life” educates teens about the dangers of drug use,; hence acting as an enforcer of social norms, distinguishing between what is socially acceptable in society and what is not. Yet media can also act as an agent of socialization. Aside from broadcasting the traditional reality t.v.show, television also serves as an agent of communication by broadcasting important events such as natural disasters and urgent news briefs. The Internet for example, allows individuals to have access to news updates with just the click of the mouse. Media also has the power to confer status on certain issues. We often see high ranking celebrites on the cover of magazines to draw the consumers attention and think wow they must be important, The Internet often shows issues form multiple perspectives; something most magazines lack.
No comments:
Post a Comment